Letting Go
by Grey-eyed-semicolon
Summary: Hermione Granger never quite managed to fit in at primary. Maybe a new school will be better... or maybe not. Threeshot
1. Chapter 1: Not Quite Perfect

**Letting Go ****- by grey-eyed-semicolon**

**Part 1**

Not Quite Perfect

She staggered up the road, trying to get used to the weight of five heavy hardbacks, which she certainly shouldn't be carrying, and one paperback textbook, which she should.

"Your schoolbag's too heavy!" her mother had scolded. "Can't you take something out?"

"No," she'd replied, not quite honestly.

So now she was carrying the 9 kg bag up the road, with the shoulder straps groaning in protest and one hand behind her, supporting the bag from underneath. And she had a mile to walk. _What fun._

She reached the school steps around quarter to nine, already panting as though the world would end, and just stopped, glaring at the steps in the hope that they would flatten themselves in submission, or at least become a little less steep. It didn't work. She scowled, and started to climb.

…48…49…_50!_

She couldn't help grinning triumphantly as she stumbled towards the school gates. Never mind the fact that she did this every day; she had survived this time, which was something to be proud of. She leaned on a gatepost to catch her breath. As her breathing returned to normal, she renewed her hold on her violin case and walked to the school library.

* * *

Her first subject was French, which she was pleased about. French was a soaring language, she thought, a language that sang, and she loved it. It was also quite easy, which she was glad of, since she had read throughout the whole night and she was already tired enough. Copying grammar notes, she saw as not only an answer to her prayers, but a blessing, too.

And then she had English.

It was a reading period, so she opened the book she had placed on her desk and began to read.

Thirty-five minutes later, she was searching her schoolbag for another book.

At interval, she sat on a small wall that jutted out from the rest of the school and read some more, taking absent-minded bites of her apple every so often. She wasn't looking forward to her next subject: _PE_.

She was surprisingly fit, due to her long and heavy walks to school. She was also quite strong, thanks to carrying several kilograms of book on her back every day. However, she was a bookworm, and bookworms do not, as a rule, enjoy doing anything remotely physical.

After PE, where she had been doing cross-country running, she had Science, then lunch. At lunchtime, the library was open again, so her time had been fully occupied.

Maths was her next subject, and she loved Maths. It was so logical, which appealed to her. Lastly, Music. Her violin had to be dug out from under the many other instruments in the music cupboard, but she didn't mind that at all.

The school bell rang at half past three, and she hurriedly stuffed as many books as she could fit into her bag. Hoping fervently that she wouldn't be late, she ran to her philosophy tuition. Her laces were undone, her bushy brown hair flying everywhere, most of her books in her arms and her bag swinging off one shoulder.

Well, she was not quite perfect, but nobody was.


	2. Chapter 2: The Only Escape

**Letting Go ****- by grey-eyed-semicolon**

**Part 2 **

The Only Escape

The world of magic was new and strange, and she didn't know what to do. A new people, a new culture, a new way of living altogether, but she still had no new friends. It was similar to her – what was it, muggle – school in that respect.

Then again, it was probably partly her fault, since she was too shy to make friends.

She found herself slipping into the library more and more often, and she seemed to be reading a lot more than she had been before. Her lessons appeared to be the only thing, other than books, that she was interested in. She didn't give people a chance to make friends with her any more.

She wondered why she was reading so much, because she didn't believe that it was only because she was fascinated in the magical world. She shrugged to herself and then she realised.

Books were her only escape from this intimidating world.


	3. Chapter 3: It Never Happens in Books

**Letting Go ****- by grey-eyed-semicolon**

**Part 3**

It Never Happens in Books

The troll looked at her, stupidly, and she screamed.

It had to be something dramatic that pulled her away from her books, she admitted, but she wished that it hadn't been this. And then two boys ran past, whom she recognised as the famous Harry Potter and his friend, Ron Weasley.

A fleeting hope that they might be her to help her passed through her head without stopping. They hated her. Ron had said so himself, just that day, which was why she was here, in a bathroom with a troll.

As if to prove her right, they locked the door with a _bang_ and she could hear them congratulating each other.

The troll turned back to her.

She screamed.

Harry and Ron confirmed their insanity by running in without a second glance. Harry actually jumped on top of the troll and stuck his wand up his nose. She wrinkled her own nose, and tried to scramble out of the way. Then Ron knocked the 12 foot thing out with its own club.

The two mad boys looked at her. She looked back, and smiled.

* * *

She could hardly believe it, but that was that; they wanted to be her friend. She was delighted, of course, but also confused. After all, Ron had said he hated her, and now he wanted to be her friend. She growled in frustration at life in general. This never happened in books!

She slowly began to separate her lessons and books from the rest of her life, which was very difficult, but with Harry and Ron's help, she managed it, eventually.

Later, she was glad it happened in real life, and not books, and she was happy to be friends with "the two mad boys", as she still thought of them.

The hardest part, she decided, had been knowing when to let go…


End file.
